Elisa's War
by Rian Cena
Summary: Elisa is a grand daughter to Christine. On one evening when the Germans are bombing Paris, she founds herself from the yard of the theater, which she had heard so many stories. Will her destiny be similar with Christine?
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: **Elisa is a grand daughter to Christine. On one evening when the Germans are bombing Paris, she founds herself from the yard of the theater, which she had heard so many stories. Will her destiny be similar with Christine? ( Loosely based on the movie.)_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own anyone who you might recognize from Phantom of the Opera. (I wish I did, you see, I love Gerard Butler... Lol)_

_Okay, in this story will be some supernatual things, specially the fact that the Phantom hasn't aged a day after Christine's time...

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**Chapter 1**

It was getting dark in Paris and Elisa LeCheval knew that she should be home already. It was year 1941 and the World War II was raving around the Europe. Germans had been bombing Paris for a week almost constantly, but she had refused to leave Paris despite her mother had begged her. She was studying in Academy of Music, and she had decided that she would leave only if the school had to be closed. Her boyfriend was working in Paris also and she didn't want to leave him either.

Elisa started to run, because there would be curfew soon in the town, and she wanted to get back home before it started. No one knew if Germans were going to bomb Paris that night, but Elisa knew that it was better to be safe than sorry. She had ran one section of the street, when she heard the first voices of the airplanes. She stood still and looked up on the sky, just to see several planes just appearing behind the few clouds on the sky. Before Elisa realized, first sounds of the falling bombs pierced the air and she heard explosion not so far away. She started to run again not noticing the people yelling and screaming around her when they were searching for cover.

Elisa ran aimless until she had to stop,when the a bomb fell near her and she fell to the ground by the force of the explosion. She was unharmed despite few minor cuts on her hands and she stood up fast again. She started to look around, and realized that she had ran the wrong way. She was quite a far from home, but still the surroundings looked somehow familiar. She turned slowly and took a deep breath when she recognized the remains of the building behind her. Elisa had been there before. She knew that the building used to be a big theater, where her grand mother Christine de Chagny or Daae like she was known then, used to sing. Elisa had heard so many stories about those days from her own mother, but never from Christine, who had died three years before Elisa's birth. Elisa had never been inside the theatre, because it had been abandoned almost as long as she had been alive and it was in very bad condition. Elisa also knew that some homeless people used to stay there, so she didn't specially even want to go in.

Elisa had heard that the building had been magnificent when the theatre had it best times, but now it looked old and sad. After the theatre had badly burned on the fire, no one wanted to buy the building, mainly because there was still a persistent rumour going around that it was haunted. She didn't believe those rumours, because she believed knowing the real truth of the Phantom of the Opera. After all according her mother and grandfather Raoul, the Phantom had been in love to her grand mother Christine. And he had been just a man, who happened to have disfigured face. Considering the time when this love triangle between Christine, Raoul and the Phantom had occured, also the Phantom had died already, despite if he was immortal and Elisa doubted that, she didn't believe in things like that.

Again a heavy explosion shaked the ground and Elisa leaned on the gate of the theater. Two men ran towards her and yelled her to get some place safe when they passed her. Elisa hesitated for a moment, but when she heard enemy planes approaching again, she ran to the door of the theatre. She stood by the door for a moment and then she opened it carefully. She entered the once so magnificent hall, which was now in ruins and almost half of the roof of the building was missing. She closed the door carefully behind her. _Why did I close the door so carefully? It's not like someone would actually care about this place. _She thought when she carefully walked her way between the fallen roof boards and almost collapsed stairway. She found her way to the main hall, where she saw that there was only few benches left on the big stands. But there was still box stands and the main stage left, and the roof of the hall was still attached. She took a deep breath and could almost imagine the stands filled with people and actors on the stage. But the only voice she heard was bombs falling outside and planes flying on the air. _I hope they don't hit this building._

Elisa was a little scared, but still she felt that she was safe in the theatre. There was something peaceful in there despite what had happened many, many years ago. She knew that she should go home, but something was holding her in there. She also thought that the theatre was the safiest place on that moment, she could leave when the bombing was over. Suddently she had the feeling that someone was watching her, but her common sense said that she was alone. She looked up to the boxes but didn't see anyone. _Don't be stupid, Elisa. You know here's no one but you, that is just your nerves which are making tricks._

She walked slowly down to the first row of the stand and sat on the one of the few benches left. She stared for a moment to the stage imaging her grand mother singing there and her grand father watching her from his stand. Suddently the words of a song came to her mind. Her mother sang it to her when she had been little, and her grand mother had sang the same song to Elisa's mother when she had been young. Elisa started to sing quietly the song with her beautiful voice, which she had inherited from her mother's side.

_In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came_

_That voice which calls to me and speaks my name._

_And do I dream again?_

_For now I find_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there_

_inside my mind._

Suddently out of no where the male voice joined to the song, and Elisa went silent turning her wide and scared eyes towards the voice.

_Sing once again with me our strange duet._

_My power over you grows stronger yet_

_and though you turn from me to glance behind._

_The Phantom of the Opera is there,_

_inside your mind._

Elisa saw a male figure up in one of the boxes. He was wearing dark clothes and a dark brown cloak, it also seemed to her that he was wearing some kind of half mask on his face. Suddently Elisa felt very dizzy and before she could say anything or even move, she fainted sliding down to the floor.

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_**A/N: **The historical facts might not be correct in this story, so please don't kill me for that..._

_Those things which are written in italic, are Elisa's thoughts, exept the song in this chapter._

_I know it's maybe a bit tactless to use the song here, but I thought it would suit well in that situation..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for reviews, and **jtbwriter** - thanks again for the idea you gave me..._

_Oh yeah, sorry about all sentences which make no sense and spelling errors!_**

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**Chapter 2**

Elisa opened her eyes and gasped. She was laying on cold floor and staring to the half masked face, where blue eyes were staring back to her. Elisa was flustered and afraid. She didn't usually get scared easily and she certainly didn't use to faint, not in any situations. But now she was so scared that she couldn't move, so the man and beautiful blonde young woman just watched to each others for few minutes.

"Christine." The man whispered with a husky voice.

Elisa couldn't still speak, but she got slowly up and the man backed few steps.

"You're not her." There was hint of disappointment in his voice, and when he didn't move, Elisa turned on her heels and ran away from this sceary man only to stumble on something and she fell down to floor again. When she got up, her ankle twisted a little and she gasped of pain taking a hold of first thing which she got her hand on, and it was his arm. He was standing only inches from her.

"Did you hurt yourself?" The man asked.

Elisa didn't answer, instead she tried to take few steps away him, but she felt a stab of pain in her ankle again.

Erik realized that this young woman, who reminded him so much of his beloved Christine, was very scared of him and he tried a take a calming smile on his lips.

"Let me help you. You are hurt."

"No, no." Finally Elisa could speak. "I have to go home..."

"It is dark already. And there is a curfew."

"Germans aren't bombing anymore." Elisa commented, because she had realized that there didn't come any plane or bombing voices from outside.

"You can't walk with that ankle. Let me help you."

Elisa backed few steps when the man tried to take her arm and watched him her eyes wide. _This can't be true. This can't be that man... He looks so young... But he looks like the man grandpa and Meg described me... I have to be dreaming. But he said Christine's name..._

Erik gave out a heavy sigh and sat down to bench watching closely this young beautiful woman, who had a voice of an angel, just like Christine had had. This woman also looked a lot like her and he was also a little flustered, but he didn't show it.

"You might be arrested if you leave now. I have heard that the police is very strict what it comes to being out after the dark has come. Specially in time like this..." He spoke with a soft voice and saw that the woman started slowly to agree with him.

"Maybe you are right." Elisa sighed. "But Thomas will be so worried. He'll think that something has happened to me."

_Why do I even talk to him? I'm still dreaming, right?_

"Thomas?" The man raised his visible eye brow.

"My boyfriend." Elisa replied simply and tried to put some weight on her ankle, which only made her to gasp again.

"You can explain everything to him tomorrow. But you should really let me strap that ankle."

Elisa could swear that she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"No, no. I'll be alright."

"Don't be stubborn." Erik barked and Elisa got scared again. She had relaxed a little earlier, but his voice got her to tense again and she took few careful steps towards the exit.

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled to you. It's just that your ankle can get worse, if nothing is done to it." He watched Elisa straight to her eyes. "Please, let me help you."

Elisa hesitated few seconds, but then she sat down to the closest bench. _Why I do like he asks? I could just run out of this place. But maybe he is right, my ankle should be strapped..._

Elisa shivered a little when the man touched gently her ankle and took her shoe off, then he fingered the ankle and looked up to Elisa.

"It's not bad. I'll just get something to strap it with."

Elisa just nodded and watched how the man got up and ripped a piece of material off the top of one bench. Then he bent down again.

"You have a beautiful voice. You sing like an angel." He commented.

Elisa shivered again, she knew that the Phantom had said exactly same words to her grandmother.

"I'm studying in the Academy of Music." She said simply.

"Your voice reminds me of someone."

_What the hell, I can tell him from who I have inherited my voice. It's not like he is that man..._

"My mother and grandmother had both a beautiful voice. My grandmother used to sing in theatre." Elisa said quietly and almost fell on her back when the man jumped up. He just stared at her for a moment and Elisa got a very uncomfortable feeling.

"If you are ready, I can leave... I'm not too far from home..." Elisa stood up, but she was gently pulled back on the seat.

"No. Please, listen to me. It's not safe to leave now." Erik said with a firm voice.

"But my boyfriend..."

"He will understand when you tell him, that you were in safe place." Erik interruped her.

_I'm not so sure if I'm safe here. This man scares me a little. But I guess it's not safe outside either._

"I guess he will." Elisa admitted quietly.

"I won't bother you. You can sleep in one of the old dressing room. But rooms aren't in condition which they used to be... Maybe sleeping here isn't so comfortable..."

"I'll manage." Elisa had now confidence in her voice.

"I'm sure you will." Erik said.

"If I stay, you have to tell me who you are." Elisa watched defiantly to his eyes. Somehow she felt that she safe with this strange man, but still her common sense yelled that she should be careful.

"My name is Erik." The man said quietly after a short hesitation.

_Erik... His name was Erik. But it is just not possible that this man is he. He should be at least 90 by now and this man looks like he is in his mid 30's. _

Again Elisa just stared at the man, who touched gently her arm.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Elisa... Elisa LeCheval." She said quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Elisa. So, you told that your grandmother was a opera singer. What was her name? Maybe I have heard about her."

While he was watching Elisa, she tried to figure what to tell him. _If he really is the Phantom of the Opera, what will he do when I tell him who is my grandmother? Will he go crazy? After all, he was the one who lost his love. Will he kill me? He has killed before. Come on, Elisa! This isn't THAT Erik! _Different thoughts went trough Elisa's mind, when he watched this man, who was sceary and interesting at the same time.

"Her name was Christine..." Elisa pulled away from the man whose expressions changed rapidly on his face. Then he stood up and paced on the aisle for a moment trying to calm down. When she stood infront Elisa, who watched him fear in her eyes, he said with hoarse voice.

"I knew once a woman called Christine... She sang in this theatre."

_No! You are lying!_ Elisa yelled in her mind, she still didn't believe that this mas was the Phantom of the Opera, from who she had heard so much stories, both bad and good.

"My grandmother sang also here before the fire." Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she continued. "Her last name was de Chagny or actually it was Daae when she sang here. She married my grandfather after she left this place."

Elisa didn't know what was going to happen when she had said those words. Some where in her mind she was waiting this man to hit her or start yelling to her, but after few minutes nothing had happened and she dared to open her eyes again. She saw Erik staring at her, he was speechless and seemed like he had frozen. Both of them just stared at each others in disbelief.

_He looks like he is serious. But if this is that man, who once loved Christine so badly, what has happened to him? Why he looks so young? He isn't a ghost, right? If he was, I couldn't touch him and he couldn't touch me. _

Elisa had always been very practical but now she started to second question her beliefs. It this man was some kind of copycat of the Phantom, he wouldn't had looked like that. There was so much sorrow in his eyes and he looked like he had really known Christine.

"You have her voice and you look a lot like her." He said after a moment and stroke gently Elisa's curly hair. Elisa realized that she couldn't pull away from him without falling down from her seat, so she sat silently watching her green eyes wide to this man.

"I... I..." She started, but squinted then. "Who are you really?"

"Don't you know already? I am the Phantom of the Opera." Erik said with a voice, which got Elisa jump up from her seat, but again she felt a little pain in her ankle and leaned on the seat infront her.

"You can't be... It's not just possible." She stammered.

"Believe me, it is possible." Erik said sounding now sarcastic and sad.

"But it was tens of years ago... How you can look so young? How can you be alive?" Elisa questioned, when she saw that Erik was rather calm again and she wasn't so afraid of him. He just looked at Elisa and it seemed like his mind was far away.

"I have heard so much about you..." Then Elisa noticed that this man wasn't listening him. "Erik?" She said carefully.

Erik shrugged a little and smiled slightly to her.

"Yes?"

"I said that I've heard a lot of stories about you."

_I can't believe, that I really believe him when he says that he is that Erik of who grandmother once loved for short period... But maybe things like this happen after all._

"I'm sure you have. And not so good ones." Erik said dryly.

"Actually Meg and Madame Giry spoke very highly of you. Despite they both were also afraid of you. And I heard that Christine didn't say a bad word about you, not even once. I heard that she didn't forget you...But grandpapa..."

"I remember Meg and Madame Giry very well." Erik said thoughfully, but then he sounded sarcastic again. "I'm sure Monsieur Vicomte didn't have anything good to say about me."

Erik didn't want to ask how did she know that Chistine hadn't forgotten him. Maybe it was obvious that she hadn't forgotten him after all he had said and done, but he wasn't sure if he believed Elisa when she said that her grandmother had never said a bad word about him. She had all the rights to hate and loathe him.

"I can't actually blame him. I know what happened." Elisa watched defiantly to Erik.

"Yes, I believe you do... But did you hear Christine's side of the story?"

"She died before I was born." Elisa said quietly. "But my she told it to her daughter Sara, who is my mother. And she has told about it to me."

"I don't want to talk about her anymore." Erik said turning his eyes from Elisa, who took few steps towards him. _Why I am doing this? I can't trust this man. If he really is the Phantom, like he says, I should be running away from him. But I can't..._

"I understand." She said quietly and put her hand on his arm. Erik turned again to watch at her and Elisa saw confusion in his eyes. When the man didn't say anything, she continued.

"What are you? I mean you should be dead already, but you look so young..." Then she took a deep breath. "Are you a ghost?"

"Ghost? People do call me the Opera Ghost, but no. I'm not a ghost." Erik said and his corner of the mouth was twitching.

"A vampire?" Elisa asked then.

"A vampire?" Erik echoed and started to laugh. "Do I look like a vampire?"

_Actually if you took that mask of yours off you might look a bit like a vampire. Or so I've heard. _Elisa thought when she sat down again, because her hurt ankle couldn't take her weight anymore.

"No, I'm not a vampire either. You should know that those creatures doesn't exist. They are just creations of human's mind."

"Are you just a creature of my mind?" Elisa asked quietly.

"No, I'm not. I'm as real as you are, Elisa LeCheval." Erik said gently.

"What are you then?" Elisa repeated her earlier question. Then she started to feel very tired and yawned.

"Let's just say that I am a lost soul. That is all you need to know for now." He took gently Elisa by her arm and helped her up on her feets. "You are tired. I can look a place for you to sleep."

Elisa let him lead her to the backstage, where he opened one door. Elisa saw that it was indeed an old dressing room. It was dusty and there was spider webs, but with the help of Erik she cleaned there so that she could settle herself on the divan. For her slight surprise Erik gave her his jacket so that she could use it as her duvet. Despite she had thought that she couldn't sleep because she had had sceary and exciting evening, she was asleep almost immediately.

Erik watched silently the sleeping woman, who reminded so much of her grandmother. She had similar voice, she looked a lot like her, but Erik reminded himself that this young woman wasn't Christine. He was still flustered about the fact that the granddaughter of his beloved Christine had come to him. Maybe she was the one who could free him from the destiny he had, but she had appeared in the worst possible time.

When two hours had passed Erik heard steps from the aisle. He stood up and glanced to sleeping Elisa, then he went to greet the two men which had appeared silently to the open dressingroom door. Elisa was half waken in one point of the night and she thought that she heard silent voices outside the room, but she was too tired to open her eyes. She didn't even wonder the voices, she just turned to her other side and was in deep sleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

On the next morning when Elisa woke up, she lied still and watched on the ceiling for a moment. Then she remembered what happened last night and where she was. She heard movement from her left side and turned her head just to see the man with a half mask on his face smiling at her.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

Elisa jumped up fast and when she put the weight on her hurt ankle she moaned a little.

"Does the ankle still hurt?" Erik asked and took gently her arm.

"It is better, thank you." Elisa smiled weakly. "Thank you for letting me sleep here."

"It was my pleasure. And I couldn't let the granddaughter of Christine to wander alone there in night." Erik replied watching straight to her eyes. Elisa was breatless and she just nodded for an answer.

"I hope you slept well." Erik said when he noticed how flustered Elisa was.

"I did." _Actually I slept better than for weeks. _She thought."But where did you sleep?" She asked looking around. She didn't see any signs of that someone else would had slept in that room.

"I don't need to sleep so much."

"**What **are you?" Elisa asked again and there was a little frustration in her voice.

"Didn't we cover this subject already yesterday?" Erik smiled slightly.

"You didn't give me satisfying answer."

"I can see that. But that's all you need to know."

Erik saw the similar frustrated expression in Elisa's eyes like Christine sometimes had and that made him even more amused.

"What ever." Elisa threw her arms up. "I have to leave now. I'm sure Thomas is sick of worry over me."

"Yes, maybe it is best that you go now." Erik admitted quietly.

Elisa just nodded and when she was by the room door, she turned to look back to Erik who watched after her."Thank you for your kindness. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Elisa. See you soon."

_I can't come here anymore, this all is just too much. I have to resist his power. I can't come back._

"No, Erik. We will not see again." She raised her voice a little. "I can't come back."

Then she continued her way carefully trough all dirt and fallen boards to the main door of the theatre. She heard steps behind her and stood by the door for few seconds before she opened it. Erik stared at her back and gave out a silent sigh of disappointment when she didn't turn.

"You will come back, Elisa LeCheval. You will come back to me." He said quietly when Elisa closed the door behind her.

Elisa was in the deep thoughts when she left the ruined building which used to be once so magnificent theatre building. She walked slowly and slightly limping towards the street, where she lived in the appartment building together with her boyfriend Thomas. They weren't married yet, but both felt that it was a best solution to live together now when it was a war time. She had a big appartment and it saved money from them both now when Thomas lived there too. On her way to home the strange man who she had met was mainly on her mind. She was very confused, but somewhere deep inside she started to believe that the man was really the Phantom of the Opera Populaire. She had already felt his power over her and she thought that Christine had felt the same. She wasn't sure if this was just a plain coincidence or was it meant to happen. She did still believe that one was responsible of his or her own destiny and there wasn't any 'bigger plan', but still she had a strange thoughts about those things what happened after she had entered the ruins of the theatre building.

On her way towards home she saw that the German bombs had caused quite a lot of distruction on the area which she went through just before she got to the area where she and Thomas lived. There was still couple of buildings on fire and she saw people crying and moaning on the street. She felt very bad for them, and she couldn't imagine how would she survive if the bomb had hit their building. She picked up on speed as much as she could with her hurt ankle and when she finally saw the building where her appartment was, she gave out a sigh of relief. The building was still standing and other buildings around it seemed also unharmed.

When Elisa got to the outer door of the building she hesitated a little before she opened it. _What I'll tell to Thomas? I can't tell him the truth. I can't tell him about Erik though I will never see him again. _She got carefully the stairs up to the second floor, stood by her apparment door and took the keys out of her pocket. Before she opened the door she took a deep breath to calm herself down and then she opened the door. Almost immediately when she had entered the small hall of the appartment, she heard Thomas' voice.

"Elisa? Is that you?"

"Yes. It is me." She replied and closed the door. Next thing she realized was that her boyfriend was holding his arms tight around her.

"Where in the earth have you been? I've been so worried." Thomas asked when he finally let her go.

"I was safe." Elisa said quietly.

"I was afraid the worst. I thought that you were dead on nights bombing and I was just going to look for you..."

"I wasn't in danger. When the bombing started I went to a safe building. I am alright, really." Elisa put her had on Thomas' arm to calm him down.

"Are you really alright?" Thomas watched her closely still worry in his eyes.

"Yes. I am." Elisa smiled a little. "But I am starving. Do we have anything to eat?"

"There is some eggs and bread in kitchen." Thomas replied.

When Elisa passed him and went towards kitchen, Thomas watched after her.

"Elisa, are you hurt after all? Looks like you are limping a little."

"Ah, it's not serious." She turned back to her boyfriend and forced a little smile to her lips. She had to choose her words carefully. "I just twisted my ankle a little last night. There was some ..." _Think Elisa, think! _"People who helped me to strap it. It's just a minor injury."

"So, you weren't alone last night?"

"No, there was... Others." Elisa said on a bit avoiding way and went to the kitchen.

Later on that day when Elisa had Thomas convinced that she had been in safe place last night, she went to take her violin from their bedroom. She loved to sing, but her true passion was playing violin and she was very good on it. She had been five years old when she got her first violin and since then she had practiced almost daily basis. She played few sounds as like for test first, but then she took her notes and started to play. It was Saturday, so Elisa didn't have to go to Academy and Thomas didn't have to go to work. She played almost for an hour because she needed something else to thing and when she finally stopped, her fingers were hurting a little, but she didn't feel any better. She looked to Thomas who had been listening her playing and smiled a little.

"So how was it?"

"Marvellous, like always. I really enjoy to listen you play." The brown haired and green eyed man smiled to her.

Elisa got serious again and stood up going to the window.

"I hate this war. Paris is such a beautiful city and look it now. It's ruined." She had sadness in her voice.

"Yes, I know. But you are safe with me. Nothing's going to hurt us." Thomas said when he came to stand behind Elisa and put his arms around her waist.

"Yes." She said simply staring out of the window. _There is so much you don't know about me, Thomas. And I can't tell you anything about my life outside of home and Academy, not even I want to tell you so much. And now there is Erik... One more secret in my life. You wouldn't understand. If those secrets were revealed I would get hurt really bad. Specially now when Germans and specially Gestapo are here in town._

Elisa and Thomas spent the whole day at home. She didn't specially want to go anywhere because her ankle did still hurt a little. Thomas was a little worried about her. He was a police officer by profession and he was trained to recognize if someone was hiding something. He knew that Elisa was hiding something from him, but in the other hand he thought that it was just this war, which made her act in a strange way.

Later on that evening Erik sat on his torture chamber beneath the theatre building and thought what Marc Villeneuve had told him last night. Marc was the only one of who Erik trusted in this world and he was the only one who knew who Erik really was, but it didn't seem to bother the man, who had been saved by Erik during the first World War when he was just a teenager. Marc Villeneuve was also Erik's connection to Resistance. Erik wasn't himself part of it, but he hated Germans like most of the French did.

When Marc had seen Elisa, he had recognized her immediately. Also the younger man who Marc called Robert recognized her. They had told Erik, that she was in Resistance and they knew her as Jacqueline. They also told him that she didn't participate on the attacks which the Resistance did against Germans, she mainly printed leaflets and carried some notes to others in Resistance, but it didn't make Erik feel any less worried about her. On the morning when Elisa woke up it had been difficult to Erik to hide it from her, that he knew she was in the Resistance, but he thought that he had managed to do it rather well. He was amazed about the effect which Elisa made to him from the very first sight, and he didn't even know yet then that she was connected to Christine by blood. Somewhere deep inside his mind Erik knew that the fact that she was a granddaughter to Christine had nothing to do with feelings he had now.

Erik sighed heavily and stared the wall of his chamber.

"Where have you put yourself into, Elisa?" He whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for reviews!_**

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**Chapter 4**

Elisa kept herself busy the next week. She studied hard on days in Academy and after the lessons and practices she went on the Resistance's small and secret office on Rue de Gareau. She had been in the Resistance for four months now, and only those people who worked also there knew it. But for them she wasn't Elisa LeCheval, the granddaughter to the late great opera singer Christine Daae, for them she was simply Jacqueline. Even Thomas or her mother didn't know that she had joined the Resistance and it was very hard for her not to tell them, but she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't trust anyone outside the Resistance, not to Thomas or to any of her friends.

Elisa didn't have so big part in Resistance's operations, but she was still important. She made sure that leaflets were printed and she also helped men called Robert and Nick to plan the attacks against Germans, it also seemed like there was coming more German soldiers to Paris every day. She didn't participate in practice on acts of sabotage which the Resistance did, because she hadn't have the training for it.

Elisa noticed that Thomas watched her with worry once in a while. She tried hard to explain him that nothing special wasn't pressing her mind, it was just generally the wartime, which made her sad. It seemed like Thomas believed her and she also knew that her boyfriend had worries of his own. He was a police officer and when the Germans marched to Paris the police in was in very difficult go - between situation. They couldn't resist the army which marched to the Capital of France without too much of resistance from the French and allied troops. The police had a important part in all this, because they had to keep the people of Paris calm as well as they had to please their defeaters.

During the week Elisa refused to think the strange man who she had met in the ruins of the old theatre. She knew now that the man really was Erik, who had once made her grandmother so bewildered and even scared that she had decided to abandon her promising future and marry Vicomte de Chagny. But altought she tried hard to forget his kindness and possessing blue eyes, Erik came daily to her mind. Few times during the week she noticed that she was walking towards the old theatre building on her way to home from Academy, but everytime when she was the other end of the street where the building was, she turned determinedly to the other street. She couldn't go to the theatre thought she felt like some unknown force was pulling her there.

Erik saw Elisa standing on the end of the street few times from his observing place in the roof of the partly ruined theatre building. Everytime he smiled a little when he saw the blonde young woman appearing in the end of the street and everytime when he saw her turning to the other street, he gave out a frustrated and disappointed sigh. But he knew that Elisa would come some day to the old thatre again, she just wasn't quite ready to do it yet.

The things which gave Elisa most comfort during that week were playing violin and singing. They were practicing a musical in Academy, thought nobody knew if they were able to play it to anyone. Elisa was the lead violinist on the musical and she had to practice it a lot. In some practices she also sang, but if they were able to perform the play to actual audience, she would only play the violin.

Exactly week after Elisa had been in the ruins of Opera Populaire she was walking back to home from Rue de Gareau. It a cool evening and the mist covered almost the whole city. She had been thinking her grandmother the whole day.

Suddently she realized that she was standing in the gates of an old graveyard. She knew where she was and somewhere in her mind she had the intetion to go there that night. Both of her mother's parents, Raoul and Christine were resting on that graveyard in the same grave. Elisa pushed the heavy gate and when it opened squeaking she watched around. _Don't be paranoid. Here's no one at this time and in this weather. Not even Gestapo. _She slid herself on the small gap on the gate and wandered towards her grandparents' grave. She knew that Thomas wasn't home, because he had been called to work and he might be there the whole night, so no one was expecting her to come home quite yet. Elisa had visited her grandparents grave before so she knew where she would find it despite the every minute thickening mist.

Elisa never saw the man in black who disappeared to the thick fog when he noticed the blonde approaching the grave of de Chagny's.

When Elisa found the big grave stone, which marked the place where Raoul and Christine were burried, she stood for a moment by the grave in silence. Then she sighed heavily and sat on the bench, which was just opposite to the grave stone.

"I know that I have never talked to you, grandma. But I have to tell you something." She started. _And I wonder why I'm doing it now. But she is the only one who could understand me, and she's the only one to who I can talk about this. She's dead, but somehow I'm sure she can hear me. I must be coming crazy._ Elisa sat in silence for a moment thinking that how she should start, not that it mattered but she wanted to choose her words carefully.

"I have met him." She took a deep breath. "Grandma, I have met Erik, your Angel of Music. He's like I imagined, scary and fascinating at the same time. The weirdest thing is, that his body and face looks like he would be still in his mid 30's. First I thought that he was just some crazy man who wants to be like him, but I've started to think that he is really the man you once loved and were afraid at the same time."

Elisa kept a short pause before she continued.

"He knows that I am your granddaughter and he seemed a bit overwhelmed when I told him. But I can understand now why he got you so flustered. He is a strange man and I think he might be now more mysterious than when you knew him. Specially when he refused to tell me what he really is. He can't be a normal human considering he still looks young. But I think he isn't bad person. He was so nice and gentle to me. I know you thought so too, despite everything... And Meg spoke only good things about him." She stared the grave stone where stood her grandparents names for a moment.

"Christine, what I should do? Can I trust him? Should I go to Opera Populaire again?"

At the same time she felt a light breeze blowing thru the graveyard. She stood up smiling a little. Maybe this breeze wasn't a sign from Christine, but she felt like her grandmother tried to tell her something. _I know I'm coming crazy._

"Thank you for listening, grandma. I'll come talk to you more often." She had no idea, that there was one person who had heard her speech to Christine. This person stood silent near by knowing that the mist gave him a good shield from her. He smiled a little thinking that now Elisa was ready to come to theatre again.

Elisa stroke gently the grave stone when she noticed something in Christine's side of the grave. _A red rose with a black ribbon... He's been here. _Elisa stood silent for a moment and tried to listen possible steps but when she didn't hear anything she gave out a sigh and wandered out of the graveyard.


	5. Chapter 5

_Whoa, I updated! Sorry that it took so long, but be patient I'll keep updating... Eventually. Lol._

_For those who doesn't remember; I don't own Erik, but Elisa is my own creation._

_Sorry, this is a bit short chapter..._**

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Chapter 5

On the next day Elisa couldn't get the the rose which she had seen on the Christine's grave out of her mind. She studied and practiced in Academy like in any other day, but she was absent-minded. When the practice was over she wandered first towards home, but when she was on the end of the street where she should turn to home, she stood for a moment and then with a sigh she turned on other direction. _I shouldn't be doing this…_

When she was getting closer to the old theatre she saw some Gestapo officers driving past her and tried to look like she knew what she was doing. Elisa knew that people was arrested by Gestapo for the smallest reasons and she didn't want to raise any kind of suspicions. For Gestapo officers she just wanted to appear as a student of music who was going home a violin box on her hand.

When Elisa was by the door of the theatre she made sure that no one saw her going in. Her mind was still yelling that she was making a big mistake, but the other voice inside her said that she should let Erik to hear her play violin.

Elisa saw couple of homeless people when she entered the big hall where the stage was. When they saw the blonde standing by the door, they stood and walked towards her. Without a word they passed her and left the building, but Elisa was sure that the woman had winked to her. She shrugged a little and approached the stage hesitating. She tried to listen carefully in case she would hear Erik's voice from somewhere but she didn't hear a sound. She got up to the stage and took her violin from the box. She played first few sounds and listened then again in silence, but when there was no sign that there was anyone else on the building, she started to play a concerto made for violin from the opera Aida.

Erik was just going down back to his torture chamber when he heard the first sounds of violin. He stood silent on the underground passage but when he didn't hear anything after a couple of sounds, he was just going to carry on, when the sound reached his ears again. He turned to go back upstairs and when he got to the backstage he peeked on the stage. He saw the blonde woman standing her back to him and she was playing violin. Erik stood silent for a moment listening Elisa play. He recognized the true talent when he heard it and this young woman didn't just have a beautiful voice, she could also play violin. Only then Erik realized that he didn't have his mask on, so it was better that Elisa didn't see him, or at least he wasn't going to show her his disfigured part of face. He made his way to the closest box of the stage, where he could sit without worries. Most of the boxes were in condition that there wasn't safe to be, but the box number five was still in pretty good condition, mainly because Erik had made sure that there was safe to hide and follow what was happening in the ruins of the theatre.

When Elisa had played for a while she got the feeling that someone was watching her. She stopped and put the violin down for few minutes, but when she didn't see anyone and didn't hear anything, she sighed and started to play again. When she got to the end of the song, she put the violin down again and then she heard some kind of swish of clothes and looked up towards the box number five. She thought that the swish had come from there.

"Erik? Is that you?"

There was total silence for a moment and Elisa squinted to see better to the box. She thought that she saw a shadow of a man over there.

"Yes, Elisa. It's me." Came an answer after minute or two. Erik made sure that he was standing on the shadows and Elisa didn't see his face properly. He wasn't wearing any kind of mask and he was sure that Elisa wasn't ready to see his disfigured face.

"You scared me. I thought first that there was some homeless person or soldier or worse." Elisa sighed.

"Like a Gestapo officer?" Erik said quietly so that Elisa couldn't hear him.

"What?" Elisa yelled from the stage.

" Sorry if I scared you." He yelled back. "You didn't tell me that you play violin."

"You didn't ask. I've played since I was five."

"You are very talented." Erik said truthfully.

"Thank you." Elisa was a little surprised of the happy feeling which she got when Erik praised her. She had heard that everyone considered him as a genius and she felt good when she heard that he thought she was talented.

"I don't want to yell to you over there." Elisa watched directly to Erik, who was standing so that she couldn't see his face. "Would you come here? I want to talk to you."

"No." Erik raised his voice and Elisa felt like his voice was echoing around the ruins. She took few steps backwards.

"I... I just thought that it would be actually nice to see you face to face." She stammered.

Erik sensed that she had scared the blonde again and tried to get a little more gentle tone to his voice.

"I can't come there now. But if you come back later, we can talk."

_He's not wearing a mask. That's why he doesn't want to come down. He doesn't want to make me afraid of him, but it's not the scars he has what I'm afraid of._

"If you're not wearing any kind of mask, it doesn't matter. I don't care what your face looks like."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Erik replied dryly.

"But I am. I don't care what you look like." There was firmness in Elisa's voice.

"Don't push me, Elisa LeCheval." Erik's voice echoed around the ruins.

"Alright then." Elisa sighed trying not to show that she was a little afraid of this dark side of Erik, which appeared in his voice. "Don't come here then. But I'm leaving now."

Elisa put her violin back to the case and was leaving the stage when Erik spoke again.

"Would you play another song? Just for me?" His voice was calm and gentle again and Elisa looked up to the boxes.

"If you come down here." She had so stubborn tone on her voice that Eric just sighed.

"Can't you imagine that you are in concert playing infront audience and one of the spectators just happen to be me?"

"No. I think it's rather difficult here in the ruins. And I certainly don't want audience." Elisa watched still straight to Erik who stood in the shadows.

"Alright then. But would you come tomorrow again? Then I will come down listen to you."

"You promise?" Elisa knew that she sounded a little childish and blushed a little. She certainly didn't want to give Erik the impression that she really wanted him to listen her play, not even when it was the truth. Erik smiled a little, her tone hadn't gone unnoticed from him.

"I promise."

"Good. See you tomorrow." Elisa said and started to walk towards the outer door as fast as she could.

"Elisa!" The blonde turned when she heard Erik calling her. "Thanks for coming here again. I know you got scared a week ago..."

Elisa just nodded because she didn't know how to answer. _I can't tell him that this was my pleasure. He might understand it a wrong way. _

Elisa left the ruined building and walked to home in her deep thoughts, even couple of Gestapo cars which drove past her didn't make her jump. When she opened the door to her and Thomas' appartment, she noticed that her boyfriend wasn't there and she guessed that he had been called to work. Elisa sat in silence for a moment and then she stood up giving out a heavy sigh. She had homework to do and she thought that it was best to do it now when she had time.


End file.
